China Daily: It's Not Just for the Watergate Any More

By James Fallows

Yesterday I mentioned my satisfaction at discovering that the world's finest newspaper, the China Daily, is now available right in front of the Atlantic's office in the Watergate building in DC. The Atlantic's Steve Clemons, just back from China, had a more detailed version of the same pleased reaction.

Now I learn, from a reader based in Shanghai, that China Daily and its Chinese government supporters have extended the same thoughtfulness to other parts of America. Here is the Bloomberg Foyer of the Baker Library at Harvard Business School two weeks ago:

China Daily, People's Daily, and Wall Street Journal laid out on one table: what else could any HBS student want to read? The editorial-page writers for all three publications share a temperamental similarity in their preference for seamless world-views, despite some differences in policy outlook.

Also, there is this account from Japan of China Daily's extension of its footprint there and elsewhere in Asia too.

A nice touch in this report is its reproduction of one of China Daily's classic headlines: the news that 'Most Nations' joined the PRC government in outrage over the selection of Liu Xiaobo as recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. You can read the original story here. Highlights from its lead:

Award 'cannot change fact he is a criminal'

BEIJING - Most nations support China's
stance on the Nobel Peace Prize, and China will not yield to outside
pressure on this issue, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on
Thursday in response to a question concerning the prize being awarded to
convicted criminal Liu Xiaobo.

"Any attempt to deter China from development will be futile," she said....

Jiang denounced what she said were "double
standards" applied to China's legal system, and criticized the US House
of Representatives for calling on the Chinese government to release Liu.

She said most nations do not support the
Nobel Committee's "wrong decision". Any move by the committee will not
change the fact that "Liu committed crimes", she said.

More to read, more to enjoy._____UPDATE A reader in Philly writes:

China Daily is everywhere now--not only Harvard Business School and DC. It's one of three free papers always available in the mailroom of my Philadelphia high-rise--alongside Philadelphia Weekly and Metro, the free paper they give away at the subways. If you think CD is just targeting the elites, you're wrong. They're after the mix of arts students and ancient pensioners who live in my building too.

I was joking about elite targeting, but it's interesting to know how sweeping China Daily's ambitions are becoming. Later on we can discuss whether broader exposure to 'Most Nations Oppose' stories like the one above helps or hurts the Chinese government's "soft power" strategies.

Also, a reader in Beijing writes:

I'm happy you can get your China Daily now also in the US.

What is worth mentioning is that the USA edition is not the same as the mainland edition, nor as the Hong Kong edition. While it is a good idea for the Chinese government to get the word out to different parts of the world outside China, news is very much tailored depending on what the Chinese authorities think is fit for the specific region.